German Musical Instrument Award Names 2024 Winner

Luthier Bernd Dimbath of the firm Heinrich Gill GmbH won the award for his student violin model

The German lutherie firm Heinrich Gill GmbH has been named as the winner of the German Musical Instrument Award for 2024. Hosted by the Akustika trade fair in Nuremberg, the award has been given annually since 1991 to a maker that presents a German-made instrument of high quality and special innovative properties.

The prize-winning instrument is an entry-level 3/4-size violin, targeted specifically at students in the American market. Named 'Falcon,' the violins based on this model sell for around €2,500, and approximately 80-100 instruments have so far been sold — primarily in America and Australia.

Heinrich Gill GmbH has been run by luthier Bernd Dimbath since 1990, but it has been operating continuously in the Bavarian city of Bubenreuth since its founding in 1952. As well as building violins, Dimbath has a particular focus on cello-making.

The Akustika trade fair is now in its second year, and plays host to approximately 200 exhibitors. It has a wide target audience, encompassing professional musicians, music students, and keen amateurs.

"We were asked to develop this instrument for the US market," Dimbath said of the winning violin. "The wholesaler Howard Core asked for a specific type of antiqued look to the varnish, and the name 'Falcon' was inspired by the look of the flame on the back plate, along with the antiquing."